Car-seal.



H. R. ROMBERGER.

CAR SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1913v 1 084 1 1% Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

awuam io'r H. R. ROMBERGER.

OAR SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 23, 1913.

1,084,1 1 2. Patented Jam. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

m (June/144204,

Wot/M 35% A M HARRY R. BOMBERGER, OF GREENWOOD, MISSISSIPPI.

CAR-SEAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

Application filed July 23 1913. Serial No. 780,628.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY R. Itoammzenn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greenwood, in the county of Leflore and State of Mississippi, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gar-Seals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car seals, and more particularly to a car seal having an automatic catch.

It is the object of this invention to construct a car seal of metal and provide the same with an automatic catch, whereby the catch cannot be released without tampering with the seal and any tampering therewith will be immediately discernible.

It is a further object of this invention to construct this car seal of sheet metal and the parts secured in place without using solder.

While the preferred forms of this invention are illustrated upon the accompanying sheets of drawing, yet it is to be understood that minor detail changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a blank forming the base of the seal and the locking strip with the center of the strip broken away. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the wire locking member. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of the locking member. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the blank to which the locking member has been applied illustrating the means of securing the locking memher in place. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the blank casing for surrounding and inclosing the locking member and base. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of the completed seal. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail end view of the completed seal. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view in longitudinal central section through the base member and casing illustrating the relation of the parts in locked position. Fig. 9 is a top plan view of a modified form of blank. Fig. 10 is a top plan view illustrating the locking mem her in place and the top of the casing in position to be secured. Fig. 11 is an en larged transverse sectional view through this completed seal. Fig. 12 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the completed I seal illustrating the parts in locked position. Fig. 13 is a top plan view of another form of blank. Fig. 1 1 is a top plan view illustrating the locking member in place and the upper part of the casing bent over the base before being secured thereto. Fig. 15 is a top plan view of this completed seal.

In accordance with this invention the base 1 of the seal proper and the locking strip 2 are preferably blanked out of a thin piece of metal, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The base is provided with wings 3 extending on each side thereof and from one end, and also with a central longitudinal slot 4:. The free end of the locking strip 2 is provided with a longitudinal slot 5 and the metal between the end of the strip and ad jacent end of the slot is angularly recessed toward the slot.

The locking member 6 is made of spring wire having a double hook 7 formed in one end by bending the wire of that end back upon itself twice and the other end bent at right angles to the plane of the hook and then brought back upon itself an equal distance beyond the shank 8 of the hook and this end is then bent at right angles in the direction of the hook forming a base portion 9. The parts of the base portion 8 lie in the same plane at right angles to the plane of the hook 7 and at an obtuse angle to the shank 8. The locking member is of such size that the double hook will be received in the slot in the base member when the locking member is in position. The locking member is then placed upon the base of the seal with the base of the locking member resting upon the outer edge of the base of the seal with the shank of the hook in the longitudinal center and the double hook entering the longitudinal slot. The side wings 3 of the seal are then bent over to engage the rounded and angular ends of the base 9 of the locking member and the wing at the end of the seal crimped over the ends of the side wings thereby firmly engaging the base of the locking member and securing it rigidly to the base of the seal. As the plane of the base of the locking member is at an angle to the shank of the hook, the double hook will line in the slot partially above and partially below the base of the seal. The side wings of the seal base not being crimped thereon will allow of the insertion of the free end of the locking strip 2 between the wings and seal base.

The casing 10 which surrounds the seal base and locking member is blanked from a piece of similar metal and is of rectangular form having two indentations 11 and 12 formed therein, so that when the casing is bent and placed over the seal body the indentations will lie above and below the hook of the locking member and allow free movement of the hook when the end of the looking strip is inserted therein. The casing is secured by forming a double crimp 13 in the meeting edges along one side of the seal base.

A modified form of construction is illustrated upon Fig. 9, in which the casing is omitted by blanking the locking strip 14, seal base 15 and cover from a single piece of metal. In this instance the seal base is wider than the locking strip and is provided with an extension 17 of equal length of less width. The seal base is provided with a central longitudinal dent 18 and the end extension 17 is provided with a like dent 19. The body 20 of the end extension 17 is struck up as clearly illustrated in Fig. 11. The locking member 21 is the same as formerly described and is placed upon the base in the same manner. The end extension is then bent over upon the base and the sides of the seal base are crimped along the edge of said extension, thereby holding the locking member firmly in place and forming a casing therefor.

A further modification is illustrated upon Fig. 14 in which the locking strip 22, seal base 23 and casing are struck or blanked from a single piece of metal. In this instance the base is formed in the same manner as illustrated on Fig. 1, and the extension 24: upon the ends of the base is in the form of the casing illustrated in Fig. 5. The same form of locking member 25 is em ployed which is secured to the base by bending in the side wings 26. The upper portion 24: is then bent down over the side wings, the extension brought around the bottom of the seal base and the edges secured by a double crimp 27 along the sides thereof. as clearly illustrated in Fig. 15.

lVhen the end of the locking strip is inserted within the seal it will engage the outer inclined portion of the double hook forcing the same upward until the end snaps into the longitudinal slot in the strip. An outward pull upon the strip will cause the end of the strip to ride up over the inner inclined portion or back of the double hook, until the end of the hook is snapped over the end of the strip. The end of the strip is therefore confined in the double hook and cannot be removed without defacing the easing or cover of the base. It will be noted that the parts are few in number and are held together by the bending or crimping of the metal.

What I claim is:

1. In a car seal, a sheet metal base having an elongated longitudinal slot and an integral locking strip having a similar slot near its free end, a wire locking member comprising a shank having a double hook at one end and an angularly disposed base formed by bending the wire of the other end, means for securing the wire base upon the seal base with th hook lying centrally in the base slot, a casing about the locking member, and means for securing the casing to the base.

2. In a car seal, a rectangular sheet metal base having an elongated central longitudinal slot, a locking strip extending therefrom having a similar slot near its free end, wings extending from the base, a wire locking member comprising a shank having a double hook at one end and an angularly disposed base formed by bending the other end, said wire base held upon the seal base by bending the wings thereover with the shank in the center line of the base slot and the double hook therein partially above and below the seal base, a rectangular sheet metal casing about the locking member indented to allow play of the double hook, and means for securing the casing to the seal base.

3. In a car seal, a rectangular sheet metal base havin an elongated central longitudinal slot therein, wings extending from each side thereof, a locking strip having a similar slot near the free end extending from one end of the base and a rectangular casing extending from the other end of the base, a wire locking member comprising a shank having a double hook at one end and an angularly disposed base formed by doubling the wire of the other end at right angles to the shank and then bending the free end, said wire base secured to the seal base adjacent the extending casing by bending the side wings thereover with the shank lying over the slot and the hook therein partially above and below the seal base, the casing bent over the inturned wings and then about the other side of the seal base with the meeting edges brought together and crimped, said casing provided with indentations adapted to lie above and below the locking member and allow movement of the hook.

4. In a car seal, a locking strip having an elongated longitudinal slot near one end, a casing about the other end, a wire locking member comprising a shank having a double hook at one end and an angularly disposed base formed by doubling the wire of the other end at right angles to the shank and the indentations and normally partially then bending the free end, said casing proabove and partially below the plane of the vided With indentations on either side of locking strip.

the locking strip and the wire base of the HARRY R. ROMBERGER. 5 locking member secured parallel With the WVitnesses:

locking strip adjacent the outer end of the F. W. JUDSON,

casing with the double hook movable Within A. K. SABIN.

Uop'ies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

